Little Lights
by tinkertot95
Summary: This is where I'm putting scenes from my story, Blinding Lights, that didn't quite make the cut for the main story as well as one-shot type things and other perspectives within the story! You don't necessarily need to read the main story, but it might give you a better insight? There will probably be more fluff than action, so enter at your own risk!
1. Little Minako

**Hey guys! Welcome to the first edition to the little side story type thing for Blinding Lights! This is where I plan to put some of the stuff that didn't quite make the cut in the main story. Maybe some missions with Team Kenta, other points of view in my favorite scenes that I've written. I'd also like to say that if you have anything you'd like to see, I'd love to hear about it! Who knows, I may even be able to do the idea some justice and it could end up here! Anyway, this first little bit is the start of one of my favorite dynamics in the story. The Shikaku-Minako stuff. I know that I didn't do so hot writing as Shikaku here, but I tried! I may come back to it at some point, but for now here it is!**

I hear the quiet footfalls from Minako Uchiha before I detect her chakra coming closer which is something that I still haven't been able to get used to. It has been three days since the Uchiha clan was massacred and while her brother remains in bed, she is not. She knocks quietly on the door.

"Come in." I say and the door slides open. She stares at me with wide, deep eyes…full of intelligence. "Yes, Minako, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to talk with you about school." She says and I nod, gesturing for her to sit down on the couch situated behind my desk. She goes over and sits as I turn my chair to face her.

"I've personally spoken with Iruka-sensei and he has no problems with the two of you taking as much time as you need." I say, trying to reassure the girl. I know that Fugaku Uchiha was rigid in their perfection.

"Thank you, but we would like to go back on Monday." She says and I contain my shock. "It will be best for us if we try to get back into some sort of normalcy. So that we can try to take our minds off of it." She tries for a smile and it comes out as more of a grimace…but it could almost be convincing. She must be practicing. "Honestly I would like to go back as early as tomorrow, but I understand that you and Iruka-sensei may not see that as very wise…and Sasuke is nowhere near ready to go back just yet."

"But he will be by Monday?" I ask and she nods once. "I don't think that it's a very good idea to try and force yourself back into normalcy." I see her shoulders slump ever so slightly in disappointment. "But I won't make my decision just yet. We'll see how things are on Saturday, does that sound fair?"

"Yes, sir." She says, bowing her head. "Shikaku?" She looks up at me again. "How…how do you move on from something like this without forcing yourself to forget about it?" I'm shocked by her question, but only because she has been keeping it together. I haven't seen or heard her shed one single tear.

"I won't pretend to understand exactly what you're going through…but I have lived through a couple of wars now." I say and she nods. "I cope with the loss of life by looking back on fond memories…allowing myself to remember my comrades for the people they were and be thankful for the time that I had with them. Your wounds…they're fresh, but with time they will heal…I doubt that it'll ever stop hurting, but you'll become stronger and you'll be able to bear it."

"How do you cope with betrayal?" She asks and at this, her eyes fill with tears. They don't spill over, she has careful control over that. "He…he…" She takes a shuddering breath. I wait patiently. "He promised that he would always protect me…that he would do anything to make sure that I was able to accomplish my dreams..."

"It's okay to cry, Minako." I say and she shakes her head. "And why not?" She looks up at me, tears threatening to fall.

"Because if I start crying, then I'm afraid that I'll never stop." Her voice is a haunted whisper. I'm glad that she feels that she can confide in me like this. "I'm not strong, but I have to be."

"When you cry that doesn't show a lack of strength. It shows that you are human…that you feel and that is okay." I say, hoping that coming from someone like me that will mean something to her. She closes her eyes and some of the tears that she'd been holding back slip down her cheeks. She quickly wipes them away. "I have an idea. Shikamaru will be home from school soon and Yoshino should have a snack ready. Why don't we go and see?"

"Okay." She says softly. I stand up and open the door. She hops down from the couch and walks out. We walk towards the kitchen in silence. Shikamaru is home now.

"Mina…" He says and she jumps, unconsciously clutching at the hem of my flak jacket. She immediately lets go, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"What? You didn't scare me." She says defensively and I smile. This is the first glimpse at the Minako Uchiha I've seen around before.

"Yeah, whatever." Shikamaru says, rolling his eyes. "Wanna grab a snack?" She hesitates for just a moment before she nods. The three of us enter the kitchen together and Yoshino raises her eyebrows at me.

"Will Sasuke be joining us for a snack today?" My wife asks as she carries two plates over to the table. Minako sits across from Shikamaru.

"No…he's resting right now. But thank you." She says, bowing her head respectfully. "He really appreciates you letting him take dinner in his room last night."

"Not at all." Yoshino says with a fond smile at the girl. "He's lucky to have a sister like you."

"That's what I always try to tell him." She says, trying for exasperated. "Between Mother and I, she always says that I'm the more rational…well said." Any animation that she'd gained slowly leaves her expression.

"Iruka-sensei made us spar today. It was a drag, but I know how much you like that stuff. So after our snack, do you want to maybe spar outside?" Shikamaru says, immediately going in for a distraction.

"Only if you're ready to get your butt kicked." She says, regaining some of that spark. It might be interesting to watch…

"I also might be able to show you a thing or two after your spar." I say and she looks up at me with wide eyes. How her father could ever stand to actually hit her…

"That would be pretty cool, Dad." Shikamaru says and I smile, nodding at them. "After that, I could show you my favorite cloud watching spot if you want." I hear Sasuke shout and Minako's head whips in that direction. She listens intently, muscles tensed to run to his side, but as nothing else comes from that direction, she slowly relaxes.

"We'll have to see how I'm feeling after our spar. I've been pretty lazy, so it might take quite a bit out of me." She says and I highly doubt it. She wants to stick close to Sasuke.

"Whatever." Shikamaru shrugs and takes a drink of his milk. She's sneaky about it, but she watches him…clearly suspicious. Yoshino makes eye contact with me and we move over to the kitchen portion of the dining area. It's loud enough that their ears won't pick up what we're talking about.

"She said that they want to go back to school on Monday. I told her that we would see where they were at on Saturday." I relay to my wife and she raises her eyebrows. "I know, but it might be what's best for them."

"I hope that you're keeping an extra close eye then." She says sharply. I know that she's just concerned for Minako. I still haven't shaken the image of her soaked in blood.

"Hey Dad, we're ready." Shikamaru says and I offer a smile to my wife before I return to the children.

"Well, I just want to check on Sasuke real fast before we do. It'll just take a second." Minako says as she climbs down from her chair. She goes to take her plate, but I collect them. "Oh, thank you." Her eyes are wide again, but she goes to check on her brother. Shikamaru brings his own plate into the kitchen.

"You'll keep an eye on her, won't you?" Yoshino asks him and he nods. "She wants to go back to school."

"She's crazy." He says and she gives him a severe look. "But I'll look after her." He holds his hands up in surrender. "She's my friend."

"Your friend." I say, putting emphasis on the word. He huffs and glares up at me. "All I'm saying is that you generally can't be bothered with anyone."

"She's just different, okay?" He says defensively and I chuckle, reaching to ruffle his hair but he ducks out of the way. "Don't be so annoying, Dad."

"He's sleeping now, we should be okay for a couple of hours at least." Minako says as she comes back in. "Yoshino, will you let me know if he wakes up while we're outside?"

"Of course." My wife says with a fond smile to the girl. "Go and train, everything will be fine." She smiles back and it's more genuine than the grimace from earlier. Just as I suspected. There's hope.


	2. A Professional Pain in my Ass

**In this little tidbit, we see a training session from chapter two from the perspective of Shikamaru! In my head I can hear his thoughts on Minako, but I had a kind of hard time putting them down in text. My favorite thing about young Minamaru is that before age 14, it is mostly platonic. I touch on when that started a very little bit. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this! If you have any ideas on how I might be able to make these better let me know! I'm open to constructive criticism.**

I feel angry as I see Kenta Miyamoto knock Minako down with a lot more force than was absolutely necessary. Asuma-sensei rests his hand on my shoulder.

"Relax. If she didn't want to train that hard, he wouldn't be hitting nearly as hard." He says, but that doesn't make me feel any better. "They had a rough mission and she blames herself for it."

"Wouldn't the rational thing be to talk about it?" I ask, feeling my eye twitch. I've been spending too much time with her.

"Maybe, but are they the most rational people you know?" He asks and I have to agree. My anger flares again…we're closer and I can see that she's actually bleeding.

"Because if I'm not stronger, then I can't do my job." She says, her tone level with the amount of concentration she's putting forth right now. She blocks a punch with her forearm, but there was so much force behind it that she hits herself in the face. She's dazed. No matter how bad a mission is what on earth would possess her to want this?

"You must not want it that badly." Kenta-sensei says and she comes out of that daze. He strikes her with the side of his hand. "Dead." He punches her in the stomach. "Dead." He kicks her in the chest and she falls down, but rolls backwards. "Dead. And there is nothing that you can do about it. Go ahead with your Sharingan. You obviously need it." She runs at him, but he looks completely unimpressed. "You're sloppy." Why is he trying to get her to react so badly? She's very obviously not sloppy. Yes, she's a bit dazed from the onslaught, but each move is executed nearly perfectly. She's worked hard to perfect her taijutsu.

"And you talk too much." She says, finally landing a blow on him. He moves with it and throws a punch that she narrowly avoids.

"Sensei, why is he being so mean?" Ino asks, concern filling her tone. Minako registers our presence finally, but that doesn't break her focus. I'm as tense as she is. Yes I've seen his crazy training techniques, but this is out of line.

"Look kid, I realize that your whole family is dead and everything and you probably don't think that you've got a whole lot to lose…" Kenta-sensei starts and she punches him square in the jaw. I'm entirely too tense, but that blow is way too low. "You're not the only person in the world to experience emotional trauma. I don't feel sorry for you."

"I don't want you to." She says, sounding disgusted at the idea. "Are you done trash talking so that you can train me to be a better shinobi?"

"Are you done being a pissed off little kid?" He asks and that seems to do the trick because she goes at him with all that she is. "You don't want it bad enough, Minako! You're not going to be half the kunoichi you want to be!" She throws all of her weight behind her punch before she kicks him in the chest with both of her feet. He falls down then. When he goes to stand, she draws a kunai and holds it to his throat. He tries to move his arms, but she presses the blade closer. "Alright. It's done." She backs off and falls to her knees…exhausted. "Don't let anyone tell you what you're going to be, kid. As my student, it is your duty to prove me wrong. Got it?" She nods. "I'm going to talk with Asuma, when you're ready to go just let me know." She nods again and he walks away. I follow behind Ino as she heads over. I can't possibly keep my cool around this guy right now. Ino is crying…

"Oh my god." She says, covering her mouth. "Minako…are you okay?" Minako looks at her for a second before she grins. She takes a deep breath and tries to stand up, but she's too exhausted. She probably hasn't been sleeping well on top of this. There's no way she was ready for a fight like this. Especially if their mission was as bad as what has been implied.

"Physically? Hell no." She says with a laugh. "Emotionally, yeah." Ino sits down in front of her.

"I know that you carry a first aid kit with you. Give it here." She orders and Minako obeys without question. Ino begins trying to clean up the worst of her injuries. "Honestly Minako, you're crazy."

"Must be." She agrees with a nod. "I appreciate you cleaning this up, but I'm going to have to go to the hospital. Sasuke will challenge Sensei to a duel if he sees me like this." He's lucky that I'm in control of myself.

"What would possess you to train like this?" I ask, unable to keep my anger off of my tone. I move so that she doesn't have to turn her head to look at me. Her eyes betray hardly anything…but I can see fear.

"The last mission I went on I nearly got Izanagi killed because I let a guy get to me." She snaps. "Izanagi got stabbed because I was a scared, pissed off little kid. So I decided to stop being a pissed off little kid in that moment and I killed a guy. I'm kind of freaked the fuck out about it right now. I need to know that if it's me or them…it's going to be me that walks out of there. I'm not going to let fear control me anymore because that was bullshit." My anger dissipates, replaced with something more akin to concern…a desire to protect her. I guess it's sort of like the night her family died. I saw her and the usual snark I had towards her was gone.

"Oh Minako…what am I going to do with you?" Ino asks with a sigh. "Obviously I'm going to love you…but you shouldn't be so intense. We all know that you're going to be the one that walks away from that siutaiton because you have so much more to come home to than the bad guys do. Izanagi obviously survived because you were yelling at him just yesterday." She smiles and I see the split in her lip crack again…fresh blood drips down her chin. "You were the top kunoichi in our whole class and I was always super jealous, but now you're kind of my inspiration. You work so hard because you want to protect the people that you love. You're amazing!" She isn't wrong…

"You're saying that to the little girl covered in blood and bruises who is trying not to cry." She says, laughing.

"No, I'm saying that to my best friend with a spirit that towers over that of even the strongest shinobi that I know." She says and that breaks the carefully constructed dam on Minako's tears.

"Damn it, Ino!" She exclaims. "I'm only emotional because I'm tired." Ino hugs her. "Stop, I don't want to get blood all over you."

"Oh shut up, would you!?" Ino exclaims, sounding more like her usual self. "I swear, you're a bigger tough guy than Asuma-sensei!"

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment to me or an insult to Asuma-sensei." She says thoughtfully and her sensei laughs.

"Both is acceptable in my book." The man says, still laughing. "Ya hear that, Sarutobi? My genin is tougher than you." He claps Asuma-sensei on the back.

"If a genin can knock Kenta Miyamoto down, then I guess it's alright to be compared to her." He says and through the dirt, blood, and tears I see her cheeks turn faintly pink. "That was a genuine win. He couldn't have avoided that even if he wanted to."

"Now you're just trying to bull shit me." She says dubiously. "I barely weigh one hundred pounds sopping wet." I see my opening.

"It must be the temper." I say and she moves to punch me but then stops. "How's your medical ninjutsu?"

"Let's see." She says and then she holds her hands in front of her. They glow green and the cuts heal. She presses her hand to her cheek and I see as the discomfort fades. "You can look now. I don't look as bad."

"That's not!" I exclaim, irritated. "I'm hardly bothered by blood and bruises." I roll my eyes at her.

"Sure…when it's not on the woman of your dreams." She says with a wink and I roll my eyes again.

"You're hardly a woman." I say and her eye twitches. Oh boy. "What have I done?" I ask to myself as she hoists herself into a standing position. "Take it easy."

"Your ass is mine, Nara." She says, cracking her knuckles. "Taijutsu only, none of the weird shadow stuff. You think you can keep up with me?"

"I just watched you kick a grown man across the field. Do you honestly think that I'm that stupid?" I ask and she puts her hands on her hips.

"So I'm confused now. Because it takes one hell of a woman to kick a grown man across the training field." She's on a roll…this is definitely exactly how I remember her talking to me when she would exhaust herself in training when she lived with us. Maybe not exactly… "So I'm thinking that I can deduce that you're just talking out of your ass…like you did when we were little. So what's up? Why so salty?" She asks, tilting her head to the side slightly. Ino giggles.

"So this is what Minako is like when she's tired…Shikamaru's talked about how grumpy you get, but I've never believed it. You're always so nice." Choji says and she grins.

"I'm nice to everyone but Shikamaru and Sasuke." She says as she points finger guns at him. "They're my two favorite people to annoy."

"I'm so lucky." I say dryly and she laughs. It's always nice to hear that… If anyone deserves to be happy and smile…it's her. After all that she's gone through. "Do you need help in distracting Sasuke so that you can get cleaned up?"

"I might actually." She says thoughtfully and then she stoops to pick up her first aid kit. I go over and pick up her backpack for her. "I'm going now, Sensei. Don't worry, Shikamaru wouldn't let me perish. He'd miss me too much."

"Maybe." I say and she sticks her tongue out at me. "Come on, if you're lucky he's training just as obsessively as you are."

"Jokes on you! I'm rarely lucky!" She exclaims and I shake my head. "I'll see you guys later, okay? Maybe we can meet up for barbeque soon."

"Alright!" Choji exclaims and she smiles brightly. "Try not to give Shikamaru too much of a hard time, he was really upset."

"I know how delicate he is and just how far I can push him to the brink of insanity." She says, putting a hand over her heart. "You can trust me, Choji, I'm a professional."

"A professional pain in my ass." I mutter and she shoots me a look. I take a step back, prepared to fend for my life and she laughs.


	3. Enter Emiko Fukuhara!

**A very short tidbit, but it tells you more about a character I plan to use quite a bit later on. Also, little Minako is one of my favorite things to write!**

"Oh! Excuse me!" The little girl exclaims as she bows respectfully to me. She then stoops to begin picking up her groceries. I stoop to help her. "Please, I ran into you. You don't have to help me."

"I was standing there in a daze. It's the least I can do." I say with a smile. "My name is Emiko Fukuhara, what's yours?"

"Minako Uchiha." She says proudly and my smile turns fond. That's why she's familiar. She's Itachi's little sister.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I have an idea, you've got so many groceries. Why don't I help you home?" I suggest and her eyes widen. "I've got two hours to kill, humor me?"

"O-okay." She says shyly. I take the heavier of the bags and she sets off, leading the way. "You seem familiar, but I can't figure out where I've seen you."

"Probably around." I say with a shrug. She hums, but she's not letting it go. I see the cogs working in her brain. I also see when it hits her.

"Oh…you worked with my brother." She says and I'm surprised that she'd actually say it. It's only been two months since Itachi murdered their clan.

"Occasionally." I admit with a nod. "I know you don't want to hear this sort of thing, but if you ever need anything you can always look me up." She looks shocked and I see the tears begin to fill her eyes but she blinks them back.

"I appreciate your offer, but I'm doing fine." She says evenly and then she smiles in a way that reminds me of her brother. "Really, thank you. It means a lot."

"Not at all. I lead a sort of study group for young kunoichi and you seem right up that alley. Some are still Academy students, others are recently genin. You're more than welcome any time. We meet in the main park on Wednesdays around three." I say and she nods. We arrive at the Nara compound then.

"Minako?" A boy asks and she smiles brightly at him. "What's up?" He walks over and stands beside her almost protectively.

"This is Emiko, I accidentally bumped into her and so she helped me carry the groceries home." She explains. "Thanks again for that. Shikamaru can take that bag from here." The boy sighs. I smile as I hand over the bag. "And I'll think about it…the study group."

"Don't feel obligated. Whenever you're ready, we'll be waiting for you." I say and the boy, Shikamaru, takes her hand.

"Okay." She says, nodding. "Well, it was nice meeting you." I wave and walk away. "What are you holding my hand for? Honestly Shikamaru, people are going to think that you're in love with me or something."

"You're seven. What do you know about love?" The boy asks and I chuckle to myself. "And you looked scared."

"Did not!" She shouts and then I hear a smack. I chuckle. This little girl…she's going to go far.


	4. Study Group

**This is a very small part of Minako's life as she gets too worried about Sasuke to go to the group too often, but it's integral in helping her gain the confidence she needs to go after what she wants.**

"Yoshino?" I ask as I stand in the doorway to the kitchen. She looks at me and smiles kindly. "Would it be alright if I went to a study group? A kunoichi that my brother used to work with invited me…she said some of the other girls from the academy went to it…" I look down at my feet.

"Sure. Just give me a moment and I'll walk you. I'd like to meet this kunoichi first." She says as she moves to wash her hands. "You might let the boys know that you're leaving. I'll wait for you by the door."

"Okay." I say with a nod and then I practice searching for people by chakra signature. I find Shikamaru's and head that way. He's outside in the garden, laying on the bench, staring up at the clouds. "Hey."

"Hey." He says, sitting up. "What's up?" I see the vague concern in his eyes. It's been there since that night.

"Your mom told me to let you know that I'm going to this study group. She's walking with me." I say and his eyebrows furrow together. "You remember the other day? That lady who helped me carry the groceries home?"

"Yeah…Emiko?" He asks and I hum. "That seems kind of funny to me…if you want to study…it'd be a drag but I could study with you."

"It's fine," I say as I turn to head back inside. "I don't want you to over-exert yourself. You might pull a muscle sleeping in class tomorrow." I say dramatically and then I let the door fall closed behind me.

"Why are you being weird?" Sasuke asks, he's a little ways down the hall. I smile at him and he tries to smile back…but it's more of a grimace.

"I'm not being weird. I'm being sassy to annoy Shikamaru. I was looking for you also, I'm going to a study group. I'll be back before dinner." I say and I feel his anxiety across the room. "I promise I'll come back." I walk over to him and hug him. "But I think it will be good for us…to not spend every waking moment together…and it's only once a week."

"You're right." He admits with a nod. "Do you want to practice kunai throwing together after dinner?"

"I think that sounds great!" I say brightly. "I'm going now, but we'll practice. You'll be a kunai throwing genius in no time!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just go." He says sulkily. "Love you." He says and I smile, taking his hands and squeezing them.

"Love you too." I say and then I let go. I meet Yoshino at the front door and we head out. "Emiko said that they meet in biggest park. Probably by the picnic tables."

"We'll look around." She says with a soft smile. "It's good to see you taking an interest in things."

"I'm not going to be as great as Lady Tsunade by sitting on my butt." I say, trying to sound confident.

"You're absolutely right." She says, her smile turning fond. We arrive at the park and I immediately head towards the picnic area. Just like I thought, the group is there. Emiko Fukuhara looks up as we approach and she smiles brightly.

"Minako! I'm so glad that you came!" She exclaims as she stands up and walks over to us. "And you must be Mrs. Nara. My name is Emiko Fukuhara. I facilitate this little study group."

"It's nice to meet you." Yoshino says as she surveys the area. "You understand my hesitance, I'm sure. About how long will this last?"

"I can send her home in an hour if that would make you more comfortable." Emiko says and then she smiles at me.

"That sounds alright." Yoshino agrees and then she turns to me. "One hour, okay? If you want, you can help me prepare dinner."

"I'd like that." I say, smiling brightly. "I promise that I'll be home in time." She smiles and then Emiko holds out her hand to me. I take it and stand beside her. Yoshino offers a wave before we walk over to the other girls.

"Ladies. This is Minako, she's going to study with us today." Emiko introduces me. I don't recognize anyone from school. "None of the Academy girls are here today, but that doesn't mean that we can't help you out. Is there anything that you'd be interested in learning?"

"Well…" I start…feeling nervous all of a sudden. I'm not used to having this much attention on me. All of the girls look nice enough…they don't appear angry that I'm here. "I'm not exactly sure."

"That's okay." A girl says, smiling brightly at me. "I'm working on memorizing common poisonous plants in the Land of Fire if you'd be interested in that sort of thing. My name is Suzume."

"Or I'm working on storage scrolls. You're probably still too young to exert chakra like that, but learning the basics wouldn't be a bad idea." Another girl says…both ideas appeal to me.

"Or we could just get to know each other for today…since it's your first time and all." Another girl says and I feel my shoulders relax a bit.

"That's a great idea, Midori." Emiko says as she leads the way over to the table. We sit down. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself first, Minako?"

"Okay." I say with a nod and then I take a breath. "Of course I'm Minako…I have a twin brother. His name is Sasuke and he's my best friend. We spend a lot of time together and so we train together a lot. I really like going to school because Iruka-sensei encourages me to do my best and so I guess a lot of the things I like are academic. I don't really have a least favorite subject…but mostly things have been boring to me because I've already studied them by myself." I must sound like a show off. "I love to cook because my mother and I always did that together." My eyes widen. It was a mistake to talk about her. "Uh…I'm the top ranking kunoichi in my class. My brother and I tie for the top spot." Emiko puts a hand on top of my head. "I'm sorry…my family recently passed away and I'm still getting used to the idea of them not being around anymore."

"That's okay." Suzume says softly, an understanding smile gracing her features. "My father passed away a year ago, so I understand how it feels to lose someone you love."

"Thank you." I say, smiling brightly. I've regained my mask which is a huge relief. I don't want to look weak in front of these older girls.

"So top of your class, huh? That doesn't mean anything once you're out in the field." Another girl says and I look up at her with wide eyes. "Any kunoichi worth her salt can never stop trying, even if she thinks that she's reached her limit. You've always got to keep going."

"Because we don't have a choice but to keep going." I say and she has an approving smile. "My friend Shikamaru says that he gets tired just watching me train."

"Good. Keep them guessing about what you're going to do next." She says and then she grins. "My name is Kotone, by the way. What is it you want to specialize in?"

"Well…I'm an Uchiha, so genjutsu is always a good thing to fall back on if I can't come up with something better." I say with a slight shrug. "I know the great fireball technique…so I think once I'm older…probably eleven, I'll get to work on trying to master fire so that I can have that done as soon as possible."

"You're really ambitious. I like that." Suzume says and I shrug. "Is there anything else you want to do?"

"Sort of…" I say and then I look at my hands. "My brother left his tanto…and I feel like it was left for me. So I want to learn how to use it."

"That I could help you with." Kotone says and I look at her. "Bring it next time you come. We'll get you started."

"Kotone, she's only what? Seven?" Suzume says, looking to me for confirmation. I nod. "Are you even comfortable with kunai yet?"

"Yes." I say with a nod. "But it couldn't hurt to at least start learning, could it? Even if I just use a stick or something for practice. I'm not sure how Yoshino or Shikaku would feel about me toting around a weapon like that."

"Fine, we'll figure something out." Kotone says, waving it off. "How is your throwing?" That I can feel proud of.

"Not perfect, but my accuracy is very high." I say and she nods. "I'm also working hard on my taijutsu. I've been trying to modify the Uchiha style to suit my size."

"You do have a lot to compensate for, don't you, Runt?" She says and I feel indignant. She laughs. "I'm only joking."

"Kotone can be kind of a jerk sometimes, but she means well." Midori says with a shake of her head. "Don't worry, Minako, if you stick with the group we'll make sure that you stay ahead of the game."

"I really appreciate it." I say, feeling shy again. Without Itachi, I didn't think I'd really find anyone who wanted to train with me like that.


	5. Laughter Is the Best Medicine

**This is just a cute little snap shot of the early days in the apartment. Sasuke's love for his sister has always been able to thaw out his bitterness at least a little bit. I also miss writing when Minako was a goober and just loved messing with Sassy. Enjoy this little tidbit!**

"Minako, what do we need to do this for?" Sasuke asks, almost sounding like he's complaining. I turn on him, my face stern.

"This is our home." I say and his eyes harden briefly before they soften. "You don't have to help if you don't want to. Why don't you go see if they guys want to play ninja?" I go over and unwrap a couple of picture frames. They hold pictures of us with mother. Those are acceptable.

"Mina, what's this?" Sasuke catches my attention and I look over. He's holding the white board that I got.

"Oh…I picked it up yesterday. I thought it might be good for us to have an easier way to leave notes for each other. That'll be good once we're real shinobi…going on missions and stuff. Or if I get home before you and decide that I want to go grocery shopping." I say and he looks at it for a moment.

"Want me to help you hang it up?" He asks and I smile at him as I set the pictures down on one of the side tables and go over and drag my step ladder to where I'd been thinking.

"What do you think of this spot? We can easily see it when we walk out of our rooms." I say and he nods. "Excellent." I take the hammer and nails and look at the back of the board one last time before I hammer them in. I hop off of the ladder and Sasuke steps up and hangs the board.

"Perfect. How do you do that every time?" He asks and I snicker. "Where's the marker?" I go over to the kitchen and grab the marker off the counter before I walk over and hand it to him. He steps up onto the ladder and scrawls across the top of it. _What are you doing today?_

"That's cute." I say with a laugh. "I love it." He hops off the ladder and gives me a hug. "And see? There's cork, so we can hang stuff up too."

"It looks great." He assures me and I smile. "Is there anything else I can help with?" I look around.

"Hmm…I'm not sure. Most of it is just setting stuff out now. There isn't a whole lot left." I say as I look around.

"Okay. Just let me know if you need anything. I'm going to do some studying." He says and I nod. Then there's a knock on the door.

"Kids? It's me." Hanako, the kunoichi who's in charge of checking on us says through the door and I go over to the door. The chakra feels familiar as Hanako so I open the door. "Hey, I brought a house warming gift."

"Oh." I say, somewhat surprised. "Thank you…" I step back and she walks inside. "What is it?"

"Actually I brought a couple of gifts." She says, taking off her backpack. "The first…is just something to help with security. I'll help set it up and show you how it works in a bit. The next gift…" She pulls out a wrapped box. "I thought this might be good. Here." She hands it to me and Sasuke walks over. I tear back the paper and open it. It's a camera. "So that you can make memories together."

"We love it." I say with a smile. "Thank you so much, Hanako." She grins. "Will you take our picture?"

"Of course. Where at?" She asks as she takes the camera. I pull Sasuke over by the first area I'd decorated. There's a vase with some flowers. It's a nice back drop. "That looks great. I'll count to three."

"If you tickle me, I'll beat you to a pulp." My brother threatens as he puts his arm around me. I smile sweetly.

"One..." Hanako starts and I glance at Sasuke…it's a ghost of a smile. "Two…" I tickle. "Three." She snaps the picture just as he's laughing.


End file.
